The Wishing Well
by IndigoChild21
Summary: Bridging time and space, will a heartfelt wish bring them close once again? Written for ssmonth, this takes place before Naruto Gaiden, SasuSaku, OneShot, Complete


Sakura stepped into the store and was greeted by the chime of bells and an old woman behind a hard wooden counter. Shizune had sent her on a quick mission to a small and humble town in the Land of Rivers to gather some rare medicinal herbs that were needed at the hospital.

"Yoko-san?" She asked and ducked her head in a polite greeting. "I'm Haruno Sakura, from Konohagakure. Shizune mentioned she wrote to you, and that you have extra stores of Valerian root and dried Ginkgo that I might purchase?"

Yoko nodded. "Just a moment, they're in the back room." She left through an open door and reappeared a moment later with two small containers. Sakura took the herbs from her and placed them in her hip pouch, then handed the woman her payment.

"And who is this beautiful little lady?" She asked softly, indicating the sleeping baby secured tight in the sash at Sakura's back.

"This is my daughter, Sarada. She's just about four months old now." Sakura said as she looked behind her to check on her baby. "I should probably get going, I'll have to feed her soon."

She hid the white lie behind a gentle smile and gave her thanks once again. Sarada had just finished a bottle of milk before she came into town, and wouldn't need more for a few more hours. Sakura was tired, though, and not really in the mood to chat with someone who might not share her point of view on working mothers.

Yoko held the door open for her, "If you're looking for a quiet place to rest, there's a lovely bench at the bottom of the large hill, north of the town. There are several plum trees that might offer a nice snack and a well for water. If you have a bit of copper you could spare, it's rumored to bring luck, too. Sometimes it'll even grant a wish, if you want it bad enough."

Sakura heeded the woman's advice and followed a narrow trail towards a grove of plum trees, at the end of which sat a covered stone well and a stone bench. There she scooped herself a cup of fresh well water and splashed it on her cheeks. The day was hot, and it was still a few hours of travel back to the village.

Reaching into her coin purse, she removed a small copper bit and looked at the well again. She really didn't have money to waste right now. It was a foolish notion; that one could wish upon a well. The locals might have believed it because rain came to their crops, or their daughters married off. But those types of things were just a coincidence. Wells couldn't grant wishes. It wouldn't ease her aching heart. It wasn't going to bring back her husband.

Sakura pushed the bitter thoughts away and tossed the copper down the well. As she heard it plunk into the water, she squeezed her eyes shut and whispered desperately. _I wish Sasuke was here with me._

A dimension away, Sasuke slumped to his knees.

He woke again, severely disoriented. The air was warmer that it had been, and it was noticeably brighter out. He pushed himself up and squinted his eyes, but his vision would not right itself. He activated his sharingan and tried again.

There was greenery now, where moments ago snow blanketed everything. Leafy trees came into focus reminiscent of his hometown, and verdant grass. The white lacey flora of plum trees dotted the greenery, and there directly in front of him stood a stone well. Sounds came hard and fast; the call of birds, the rushing of a stream in the distance.

"I'm a fool." The voice was soft and sad. It cut his heart like a knife.

He spun around and swore. He knew that voice. He yearned to hear it night and day. It made his heart ache and his jaw clench. Sakura stood before him, cradling his daughter quietly in her arms. Her soft pink hair was tied loosely at the back of her neck and fell lightly to her waist. Her emerald eyes were trained on Sarada's sleeping face, bright with unshed tears. One blink, then two and they were gone. Her lips pursed shut and her brow turned up, as if she was disappointed. The smell of crisp water and cherry blossoms was light and delicate, as was the smell of talc powder. He noticed light wrinkles he had never seen before and rage built inside him. He would slaughter whomever had used her image to try to attack him.

Try as though he might, the genjustsu wouldn't disperse. He reached to push a kunai into the muscle of his leg, but her image was still there haunting him. Even the pain couldn't make it stop. He activated his rinnegan in a desperate attempt to teleport away, but he was stuck in place. Frantically he looked around him, and then turned back to watch his wife in hopeless frustration.

An attack never came. His nerves were frayed and his heart hammered in his chest, and he didn't understand what was happening. He had never felt a torture so acute. Sakura sighed, and her breath stirred on his face. It smelled sweet, like plums. He yearned to pull her tight and kiss away her melancholy, but as he reached a hand out it passed right through her.

She looked up then, staring straight at him as if she saw a ghost. Her body went still and her lips moved without sound. _I love you._

A moment later his beautiful wife shook her head and laughed at herself. Her cheeks were rosy with embarrassment. She pulled Sarada closer and turned away. Step by step, she walked away from the wishing well.

Sasuke's breath caught in his lungs, and his heart wrenched painfully. Before he could call out to her his surroundings stretched dizzily. Colors blurred and silence enveloped him. Seconds later he felt the cold snow beneath him. Exhaustion hung on him like a thick cloak and his legs gave out beneath him. Once again, he was alone.

He didn't understand much of what had just happened, but he knew it was time to go home.

- _Fin-_


End file.
